Improvement in railway-signals



T. M. FISH & 0. MILLER.

RAILWAY SIGNAL.

Pate-nt'ed July '18, 1875.

7 jmeizi'qrs:

WASHINGTON D C NITED STATES PATENT Frzoa.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY-SIGNALS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. I 80,017, dated July 18, 1876 application filed June 16, 1875.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, THOMAS M. FISH and OTTO MILLER, of Chicago, Oook county, Illinois, have invented an Improvementin Railway-Signals,of which the following is a specification:

Our invention relates to that class of signals used by railway companies on locomotives at railway-stations,and upon railwaytracks, to signal trains of cars.

The object of our invention is to produce a signal that can be seen under any condition of the wind, and that is not. att'ected by rain.

With the flag-signal now in use, if the wind is blowing directly ahead or in line with the track, the full side of the flag cannot be seen also, it the flag is saturated with water by rain, it hangs down so that it is not readily seen, so that, in either condition, it is comparatively inet'tective; whereas, our improved signal, being spherical, cannot be afl'ected by wind or rain in the manner abovc'mentioned.

We make our signal spherical by connecting several narrow metallic strips or pieces of wire with a stationary or fixed collar, attached to the upper end or top of astaff, while the other ends of strips or wire are attached, to a movable or sliding collar, which, moving up on the statt' and fastening at a certain point by a spring-catch, produces a spherical frame, which iscovered with a red or other-colored cloth, or other material suitable for the purpose.

By this .mode of construction it can be readily folded, so that it can be carried in a tin or other case when not in use.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents the frame closed. A is the staff; I) b b b b, the metallic strips or wire; 0, the fixed, collar at the top of the staff; (1, the sliding or mova'nle collar, and e the spring-catch.

Fig. 2 shows the frame open, spherical in form, the same letters representing like parts as in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows the signal complete, with the covering.

Our invention is intended as a day-signal. only, and is not intended as a signal-light, but

THOMAS M. FISH. OTTO MILLER. Witnesses:

J. M. SOUTHARD, WM. E. SMITH. 

